It’s a little hysterical in the old hometown today. There’s supposed to be a blizzard moving in tonight, so an attitude particular to the midwestern mind takes over. All of a sudden we think we’re back on the pre-Civil War prairie, sleeping in the dugout with our livestock. We envision ourselves freezing to death in waist-high drifts, our cars belly up like dead bugs.

Like everyone else, I went to the grocery store this morning to “stock up.” The check-out line wove through Frozen Foods and all the way back to the Dairy case. While waiting with my life-saving supplies, I chatted with the women around me about our childhood blizzard memories. We all decided it was silly to stand in line when, even in the worst weather, we all could pull on boots and trudge to the Kwik Star. Still, all of us waited.

And while the barometric pressure has been low enough to make my brain implode the last couple of days, nary a flake has landed. Even so, I cancelled my meditation group for tonight. Wouldn’t want anyone to get caught in weather! And tomorrow has been obliterated from the calendar.

We should know better. Every time the weather service forecasts a storm with more than two hours notice, it ends up as a dark cloud or two. But, the anticipation is so delicious! And those of us descended from tough immigrant farm folk get to pretend we know what that was all about. In reality, we’ll heat hot chocolate in the microwave, watch the TiVo of “Bad Santa,” and check Facebook. And we’ll consider ourselves very smart to have extra nacho chips in the cupboard.

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Heh heh. When we lived in Asheville, NC, (where it snows but blizzards are rare as hen’s teeth), people descended on the grocery stores like that every time an inch or two of snow was forecast. (I think half of them were buying beer and cigarettes. Oh wait…maybe that was just me.)

This totally made me smile… and even laugh out loud a little. I’m thinking I’ll stay in (for the major part of the day at least), but if you feel like gettin’ out in your big ol’ truck, give me a shout and I’ll put the coffee pot on. Love ya!

Ah the memories… when I lived in Nebraska folks prepared much the same as you described… but HERE? Oh, no… there is no planning ahead. These folks in the South get out IN the snow, and have wrecks getting to the store, because they don’t slow down. Everything closes down with one inch of snow too… one inch causes a mass panic! So funny.